Translation
to read; to gather, choose
Examples
.
He reads the book.
.
We read the books of the ancients.
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This is read in the book.
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This must be read by everyone.
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The songs are read aloud in the temple.
Lego, legere, legi, lectum is third conjugation. The oldest sense is "pick up, gather", and reading is a metaphor on top of it: you gather the letters off the page. Greek did exactly the same thing with legein.
The compounds are where the value is. Colligo, "collect"; eligo, "choose out", hence elect; intellego, "read between", hence understand; diligo, "single out for love", hence diligent; neglego, "not pick up". The trap is a different verb with the same first person singular: lego, legare, legavi, legatum, first conjugation, means to send as an envoy or to bequeath, and gives legate, delegate and legacy. Present legit is third conjugation, legat is first, and one letter decides whether a man is reading or leaving you his estate.
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lego: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "lego" (to read; to gather, choose): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 8.